/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10260372

efficiency > payload

This is what caused the FH to win out over Ares I in the first place. It's why Congress was so happy to kill one of their own pork programs because SpaceX demonstrated a clearly superior vehicle. XS-1, Stratolaunch, and the Venturestar (if built) can all operate on a much faster schedule than BFR, at least in the BFR's current design. At the very least this means the BFR itself isn't enough, and SpaceX will have to improve on it's design further. Again this is the goal Congress rigged in advance ten years ago when all of this was set into motion by them killing Ares I.

I mention Minuteman replacement (aka the GBSD) because that's another huge expenditure, roughly ten times larger than SLS, up for review. Congress doesn't want to pay Boeing's price and would happily entertain a SpaceX bid, however Boeing could also try and poison the well by also selling Congress on an MC747 that could potentially tamper their willingness to spend over $100bn on ground-based missiles. SpaceX could theoretically counter this by partnering with someone like Bombardier or Northrop to offer a competing bid especially considering the AF will begin some sort of hybrid wing body C-5 replacement around 2023 as well.

All of this comes back to one thing: competition. This is exactly what Congress wants and will tamper with the market in order to obtain it.

>>9724300

To get an idea of what this would look like, America's main air force fleet would be comprised of large 747 ICBM carriers and 747 laser carriers. The former would launch both nuclear warheads and laser or plasma gun ABM satellites while the latter would fly above cities and shoot down incoming warheads with lasers.

And again this was all proposed for 1983, operational by 1993. However friendlier diplomacy with the failing USSR largely stalled efforts here, as there was no need. Then in 1991 the entire country collapsed and concerns shifted away from WW3 and to a second Russian civil war; from a Soviet first strike to proliferation by terrorists.